Food + Beverage
Thai restaurant and bar opens in Lan Kwai Fong. It has all the trappings of a fun-loving Western pub, but it serves authentic Thai dishes that are beautifully presented. Best of all: the talented chef doesn't attack the poultry with a clever!
Walk into the Infinity Thai Restaurant in Lan Kwai Fong on Hong Kong Island and you might think you’ve found yourself in just another one of the countless Western pubs that dot the landscape in Hong Kong.
There’s dark lighting, a stylish bar, a pool table, electronic dart boards, and beer pong.
Ask to see the menu, however, and you’ll be completely blown away. Far from the usual assortment of bar snacks – no nachos, no fish and chips, no potato wedges – there is a mouth-watering selection of Thai dishes.
Think: Tom Yum Goong, Thai Papaya Salad, Pad Thai with King Prawn, Stir-Fried Crab Curry, Thai Style Raw Shrimp, Sukhothai Seabass with Sweet and Sour Sauce – the list goes on.
And not a hot dog nor a hamburger in sight!
Set Lunches
The restaurant is open for lunch and dinner and serves 10 set lunches at lunch time. Running from HK$58 to HK$88, set lunches include coffee, tea, or a soft drink.
Tom Yum Goong Soup with Rice Noodles – one of the eight Thai dishes and two dishes from other Southeast Asian countries that were on the Lunch Set Menu during my visit.
Thai dishes included Fried Noodles with Pork, Beef, or Chicken, Pad Tai with Chicken, Thai Spicy Minced Pork with Jasmine Rice, Green Curry Chicken with Rice, Crab Meat Fried Rice, and Massaman Curry with Beef Brisket, Chicken, or Mixed Vegetables with Jasmine Rice.
The following dishes from other parts of Southeast Asia were also on the list: Nasi Goreng (Indonesian Fried Rice) and boneless Hainan Chicken Rice (popular in Singapore and Malaysia).
A la Carte Dishes
An extensive menu of a la carte dishes is served after 5 pm. My buddies and I were served a mind-boggling assortment mouth-watering dishes. There were so many of them, it was hard to keep track of them all.
If I had to pick out my favourites, they would have to include the…
Stir-fried Curry Crab – one of three signature crab dishes on the menu (HK$388 each), clearly Thai food at its best.
Pad Thai with King Prawn – one of Thailand's most popular dishes, perfected cooked and beautifully presented (HK$148). I doubt if I've had better in Bangkok.
Massaman Curry with Beef Brisket – one of the simpler, but more delightful dishes (HK$98). I would have been happy to make a meal of this with a bowl of jasmine rice.
Prices run from HK$78 for wok-fried vegetables, Thai style prawn cakes, and charcoal grilled pork jowl to HK$388 for the crab dishes.
We were also offered a couple of signature cocktails, but I was the only one that took them up on the offer.
Why I Loved It
I particularly liked the Thai Style Roast Chicken, which was succulent, meaty, and flavourful. What I especially liked about the chicken was that it was presented whole. In other words, the chef had not attacked it with a clever!
Maybe it is something cultural, but I really don't like the way poultry is often served in Hong Kong and other parts of Asia.
The same goes with other roasted meats.
Chefs take a clever and slam it downwards through the meat, splintering the bones. This leaves lots of bone fragments and grizzle that you have to deal with.
Most locals simply spit what they don't want to swallow onto the table. Those with better manners lay it discretely on the sides of their plate.
Not Like a Local
This might be the way local diners like it, but I see no reason why it’s necessary to hack poultry with a clever in the first place.
Either remove the meat from the bone entirely – or leave the bones intact and I can eat around them.
When cooked properly, legs and wings can be easily removed. I would much rather pick up the leg or the wing and eat it with my hands than deal with all of the bone fragments.
Ideally wait staff should be trained to ask diners how they want their meat served: whole or hacked.
The Verdict
This is a stylish new LKF venue serving authentic Thai cuisine that is beautifully presented. Couple that with signature cocktails, a pool table, beer pong, and electronic dart boards, and you've got a winning combination.
Infinity Thai Restaurant and Bar is a welcome addition to Lan Kwai Fong.
Where
Infinity Thai Restaurant and Bar – 8 – 11 Lan Kwai Fong, 3rd Floor, … Building, Lan Kwai Fong, Hong Kong Island. Telephone: (852) 3188-3938, 6990-1338. The restaurant is a short walk to the Central MTR Station.
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